Control for self-playing musical instruments.



W. A. WATSON.

CONTROL FOB SELF PLAYING MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

APPIJUATIOH TILED SEPT. 30, 1912.

Patented Aug. 11, 191i w W .H l m/ w 6 4 U .Hlfi L1, 0 7

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM A. WATSON, OF MALDEN, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO NATIONAL PIANO COMPANY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

Specification of Letters latent.

Patented Aug. 11, 1914.

Application filed September 20, 1912. Serial No. 721,405.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM A. WATSON, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Malden, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Controls for Self-Playing Musical Instruments, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to means for controlling pneumatic devices and is especially adapted to pneumatically operated musical instruments, such as player pianos. It is customary to regulate the tempo, the volume of sound, and other phases of expression, by manually operative members located below and in front of the keyboard, and it is with these expression-regulating devices that the present invention combines means for controlling pneumatics which in turn control or operate other parts of the player mechanism.

Of the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 represents a vertical section through the key bed of a player piano, showing in side elevation the forward portion of an expression lever equipped with controlling devices hereinafter explained. Fig. 2 represents a top plan view of the expression lever included in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the expression lever without its attached parts. Fig. 4 represents a side elevation of the pneumatic controlling means with which the expression lever is provided. Fig. 5 represents a front elevation of said controlling means. Fig. 6 represents a diagram including pneumatics, conduits connecting the same, and a sectional view of the controlling devices which are mounted on the expression lever, the section through the controlling devices being in a plane indicated by line 6 6 of Fig. 4.

The ame reference characters indicate the same arts wherever they occur.

Re erring first to Fig. 1, the usual finger keys of a piano are indicated at 10, and the key bed is indicated at 11. A shield for the front of the keys is indicated at 12, the key bed projecting forward beyond the shield in order to receive the expression and controlling devices hereinafter explained and to expose the expression and controlling devices for manipulation in front of the shield. An expression lever indicated at 13 extends from front to rear and its rear end is mounted upon a pivot 14. The forward end of the lever is intended to be moved from side to side to give expression to the playing through the medium of other elements which are not illustrated because they have no direct bearing upon the present invention. This expression lever may be used for regulating the tempo or for regulating the volume of sound or for any other purpose desired. The forward end of the expression lever is above the rear end because of an offset portion 15, the forward end being thu raised in order to enable it to stand more closely to the upper surface of the key bed, the key bed being formed with a chamber 16 in which the forward end of the lever is movable. The forward end of the lever is supported by and slidable upon a member 17 which may be a portion of the key bed or a separate member attached thereto. A handle 18 is affixed to the lever in such manner as to extend upwardly in front of the keyboard above the key bed.

The key bed is provided with a suitable slot 19 in which this handle is movable. The structure thus far described is well known and has been used before, and the same is not herein claimed except as an element of the combination which is hereinafter described.

Referring now to Fig. 6, which is a diagram of pneumatic devices, 20 indicates a vacuum reservoir which is normally distended by a spring 21, but which is evacuated by the usual bellows (not shown). 22 and 23 indicate non-collapsible vacuum chambers in which are collapsible pneumatics 24 and 25. The chambers 22 and 23 are connected by suitable pipes or tubes 26 with the vacuum reservoir. The neumatics 24 and 25 may be employe for actuating mechanism for any purpose desired, such for example as stopping the motor which drives the usual perforated roll, or for placing some or all of the hammers in closer relation to the wires. It is not necessary, however, to show these elements of the instrument or to show the mechanical connections between the same and the pneumatics 24 and 25. It will be apparent from further description how the pneumatics 24 and 25 are operated, and it will therefore be obvious that their movements may be utilized to perform any desired functions.

The pneumatics 24 and 25 are controlled by manually operative valves in a member 30 which is aflixed to the forward end of the expression lever 13. This member 30 may conveniently be a piece of cast metal. The handle 18 hereinbefore described is formed upon or fixed to this member 30, and the latter is mounted upon the expression lever by suitable devices indicated at 31 which support it a short distance above the expression lever for the purpose of leaving" space for the movement of the valves hereinafter described and for the admission of air into the conduits which lead from the member 30 to the pneumatic elements. The member 30 in the present instance is pro- I vided with two manually operative valves I and are connected by flexible rubber tubing 40 and 41 with the pneumatics 24 and respectively. The spring 36 is engaged by a push rod 42 which extends upwardly through the handle 18 and has a head or button 43 at its upper end. The spring 37 is likewise engaged by a plunger 44 whose upper end is exposed for manipulation above a surface 45 of the member 30. The member is preferably mounted so that this surface 45 will be in the same plane as the upper surface of the key bed 11.

The handle 18 is adapted to be grasped by the thumb and third finger of a hand, for the purpose of swinging the expression lever from side to side, and when so grasped the forefinger of the same hand may rest upon the button 43 while the tip of the third finger may touch or remain slightly above the upper end of the plunger 44. The third finger and forefinger may thus be constantly in position to depress the members 43 and 44, while at the same time the third finger and thumb are grasping the handle 18.

One end of a flexible rubber tube 46 is connected with the vacuum reservoir 20 either directly or through the chambers 22 and 23, and the other end is connected by a nipple 47 to the member 30. A chamber 48 is formed in the member 30, and the nipple 47 is tightly fitted in the mouth of this chamber. The chamber extends between the ports 32 and 33, as shown by Fig. 6, and has communication with these ports by means of restricted passages 49 and 50 whose function is hereinafter explained.

The chambers 22 and 23 are in a state of constant deflation when vacuum tension exists in the vacuum reservoir 20; and when the valves 34 and are closed, the pneu matics 24' and 25 are free to be deflated because of the communication afforded by the conduit 46, chamber 48, restricted passages 49 and 50, and tubes and 41,-the tension in the chambers 22 and 23 and in the pneu matics 24 and being thus equalized. If there is any slight leakage at the valves 34 and 35, the same is carried off through the passages 49 and to the vacuum reservoir.

When the button 43 is depressed, the port .32 is opened and atmospheric pressure passed through the tube 40 to the pneumatic 24, thus expanding the pneumatic and causing the desired mechanical movement thereof. A small proportion of the atmospheric pres sure will also leak through the restricted passage 49; but this will not perceptibly interfere with the working of the pneumatic 24, because the capacity of the passage 49 is very small in comparison to the capacity of the conduit which conducts air to the pneumatic. The pneumatic 25 is operated in the same manner by depressing the plunger 44, and the conditions which control this pneumatic are the same as those which control the pneumatic 24. The opening of the valves 34 and 35 is limited by the expression lever when the leaf springs 36 and 3'? engage the lever. The movement of the expression lever has no eflect upon the devices which are controlled by the valves 34 and 35, nor have these devices any effect upon the 1nechanism or device which is controlled by the expression lever.

The expression lever is adapted to support the flexible tubes 40, 41 and 4G in order to prevent sagging of the tubes. lVith this end in view the offset portion of the lever is provided with two eyes through which the tubes 40 and 41 extend. The tube 46 may be disposed between the tubes 40 and 41, and the three tubes may be bound upon the lever by any suitable means, such, for example, as loops of strings.

An advantage of forming the atmospheric pressure ports 32 and 33 in the same detachable member 30, and of mounting the valves therefor on the same member independently of the expression lever, is that the valve mechanism may be attached and detached as a unit without disturbing the relation of the valves to the ports which they control. The valve mechanisms may therefore be removed for examination or test without disturbing their operative condition.

One advantage of forming the deflating passages 49 and 50 in the same part which carries the valve mechanisms is that they are more accessible for examination and cleaning. Both valves may be examined and the deflating passages may be cleaned without opening the casing of the instrument and without disturbing any of the interior mechanism of the instrument.

Another advantage of locating these deflating passages 49 and 50 as described is that primaries for the pneumatics 24 and 25 are rendered unnecessary. \Vith the deflating passages located as shown, the pneumatics are immediately deflated when the valves 34 and 35 are closed, and it is immaterial whether the pneumatics are of large or small capacity.

As shown by comparing Figs. 1 and 5 of the drawings, the two control valves and their springs 36 37 have their touch members 43 44, which are depressed by the fingers of one hand, adjacent each other and in different horizontal planes. This construction and arrangement renders it almost impossible that the performer shall make any mistake as to which of the touch members is to be operated, although they are so closely adjacent each other as to enable them to be operated by two fingers of the same hand. The head of the plunger 44 constitutes a button or touch member which is operated in the same manner as the button or touch member 43. Another advantage of this construction is that the parts can safely be, as they are, located in permanently exposed position, and still, owing to their being below the plane of the tops of the finger keys l0 and adjacent the front ends of those keys, they do not require to ever be swung out of the way, or covered up, whether the musical instrument is to be manually played by means of the finger keys 10 or not. Of course, owing to the fact that the controlling valves and their springs and the touch members 43 44 are all carried by the expression lever 13, an exceptionally convenient provision is made whereby three separate controls can be effected by one hand, and still leave an opportunity for one or two remaining fingers of the hand to rest upon a stationary surface such as the key bed 11, thereby steadying the hand to enable a more accurate control to be secured than with devices which are operated while the hand is unsupported.

I claim:

1. Two chambers having a movable operating wall dividing them, an air supply conduit for one of them, pneumatic means for drawing air from the other, a manually movable controller, a valve structure mounted on said controller, said valve structure having a port for admitting air from the atmosphere and a manually operative selfclosing valve, said air-supply conduit communicating with said ort to receive air therefrom, means forming a restricted air passage, the same communicating with said air supply conduit and being mounted on said controller, and a conduit forming communication between said restricted passage and said pneumatic means whereby the tension on said movable wall is balanced when said valve is closed, said conduits having flexible portions whereby said controller is free to move. I v

2. Two chambers having a movable operating wall dividing them, an air-supply conduit for one of them, pneumatic means for drawing air from the other, a manually movable controller, a member detachably secured to said controller, said detachable member having a port for admitting air from the atmosphere and a restricted passage communicating with said port, a manually operative self-closing valve mounted on said detachable member for controlling the admission of air to said port, said airsupply conduit being connected to said port, and a second conduit forming communication between said restricted passage and said pneumatic means, said conduits having flexible portions whereby said controller is free to move.

3. A pneumatic device comprising two chambers having a movable operating wall dividing them, means for causing air tension, a conduit connecting one of said chambers and said tension means, a bleed passage connecting the other chamber with said tension means, the capacity of said conduit being greater than that of said bleed passage, said other chamber having an air inlet of greater capacity than said bleed passage, and a valve controlling said inlet.

4. A pneumatic device comprising two chambers having a movable operating wall dividing them, means for causing air tension, a manually operable valve member, a support for said valve member, said support having an air port controlled by said valve member, a feed conduit connecting said port and one of said chambers, a conduit connecting the other one of said chambers and said air tension means, said support having a bleed passage communicating with said port between said valve member and feed conduit, and a conduit connecting said bleed passage and air tension means.

5. In a musical instrument, a plurality of independent controllers having movable touch members which are adjacent each other in difierent horizontal planes, and a carrier therefor movable in a direction different from the operative direction of movement of the touch members.

6. In a musical instrument, a plurality of independent controllers having movable finger buttons which are adjacent each other in different horizontal planes, and a carrier therefor movable in a direction different from the operative direction of movement of the finger buttons.

7 In a musical instrument having finger keys, a plurality of independent controllers having movable touch members adjacent each other in different horizontal planes, said touch members being adjacent the front support carrying the touch members and being laterally movable. 10 In testimony whereof I have allixed my signature, in presence of two Witnesses.

WILLIAM A. IVATSON.

Witnesses JAMES M. KEOUGH, WALTER P. ABELL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, 10. C. 

